CHICAGO METRO HISTORY FAIR

2015 SUMMARY STATEMENT

Attach an annotated bibliography (AB) that is divided between primary and secondary sources.
Submit two copies of the SS and AB at the competition. Please type.

Seth Nicholoff, Elizabeth Alejandri, Christine Wong

Student name(s) _____________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

H. H. Holmes: The Beast of Chicago

Title _______________________________________________________________________
Check if applicable (and respond to Question 3):
This project uses the 2015 National History Day theme, Leadership & Legacy in [Chicago/Illinois] History

Project Category:
Exhibit
Student Composed
Word-Count:

Website
Student Composed
Word-Count:

1,200

Paper
Total Word-Count

Documentary
Time:

Performance
Time:

(excluding citations):

1. THESIS STATEMENT

Present the projects argument or interpretation in two sentences. If you are using the NHD theme, you might want to
make it evident in your thesis statement.

H. H. Holmes, one of the first documented serial killers in America, was a major influence for future
serial killers.

2. SUMMARY OF PROJECT
Briefly explain your project and its conclusion. Include: How and why did change happen and what was the impact?
Why is it historically significant? What historical meaning or importance can we learn from your findings?

H. H. Holmes was a man known for being one of the first documented American serial killers. He had many
different tactics that may have caused others to follow his path. This shows that no matter what kind a person
has on society, whether its positive or negative, it can influence others (for the better or worse). Being a serial
killer that wasnt caught for so long, leaving no actual answer on how many victims there were, proves just how
stealthy Holmes was. H. H. Holmes taught us that no matter what act that person did, they can leave an impact
in history.

3. Required for projects using the National History Day theme only.

Explain how this project integrates the NHD theme Leadership & Legacy in [Chicago/Illinois] History into its argument.

H. H. Holmes was one known for how many people he killed, how he did it, and how
he got away with so many. His methods being recored lets others (future serial killers) to be inspired
by his tactics. Future serial killers can even improve on Holmes mistake(s) that led him to be caught.

4. PROCESS
A. What historical question did you start off withand how did it change once you began
doing your research?

We started with how exactly did Holmes fit into the role of being a leader? How was he a legacy?
We researched and after finding out several reasons, we found out why we picked Holmes. His long
period of time of not being able to be caught to how he treated his victims proves his role of a being
a leader and a legacy.
B. What kinds of sources did you use as evidence to develop your argument (for example,
letters, photographs, government documents, interviews, etc.)?

We found a website that provided copies of newspaper articles that talked about H. H. Holmes at the
time. The fact that Chicago Tribune was the newspaper proves the reliability and how Holmes fit into
the roles of our topic. We also saw the documentary in which real researchers studied Holmes ways,
methods, and history.
C. Select one piece of evidence that you used and explain how it influenced your argument.

There was a website (a secondary source) that told us the possibility of someone being influenced
specifically by another serial killer. Like how others have role models, its the same in this case. The
website gave a real life example of a man who confessed to having H. H. Holmes as one of his role
models. This proves how Holmes was a leader. It might not have been intentional, but it happened.
Holmes legacy (his methods) that he left behind just increases his chance of being someone elses role
model.
D. List libraries (other than school), museums, and other institutions that you visited to do
your research.

We tried going to H. H. Holmes original site of his hotel, the Murder Castle, in which where
everything mainly happened. Learning that it was torn down by a mysterious fire, we lost our hope of
having a first hand experience with the building.